As the Raptors continue their offseason quest to distance themselves from the image of the soft, defensively porous doormat they were considered over much of the last two seasons, the hire of Dwane Casey is a promising step in the right direction.

However, coaches coach, and players play. On that front, Bryan Colangelo has some tough decisions ahead of him in terms of the approach to the player personnel situation this offseason. The draft was supposed to be step one toward addressing the multiple needs of his young squad.

Well Bryan, your job might have just got a bit more interesting.

According to the Boston Globe, the San Antonio Spurs are apparently keen to jump into the lottery, and have reportedly been in talks with the Raps for the No. 5 pick. As part of those talks, three-time champion and 2007 Finals MVP Tony Parker has allegedly been offered as enticement.

One has to think that it is unlikely to be a straight-up swap, and would probably require an additional piece heading to the ageing Spurs. Bayless would make sense, but they could also use some length behind Tim Duncan.

With a pre-existing young nucleus that will only continue to grow and improve, Colangelo can afford to forego adding another young prospect in this year’s draft. The offer of Tony Parker would jump-start the arduous rebuilding process and help propel the Toronto Raptors toward respectability in the not-too-distant future.

From the Spurs perspective, there should still be some quality pieces on the board who could step in right away on a team laden with veterans. The Spurs could use an injection of youth at nearly every position, so their options are numerous. Depending on who comes with the No. 5 from Toronto, San Antonio could look for some size up front, athleticism at the three or their next floor general.

All in all, this move seems to make sense for both teams involved, with Toronto adding proven veteran leadership, and San Antonio having an opportunity to acquire some pieces for the future.